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New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Bad dog: arrest warrant issued for dog owner, but lawyer says pit bulls not to blame
They started it! The owner of a killer pit bull is claiming that his dogs were the real victims of a tiny chihuahua who was mauled by the bigger canines on an Upper West Side sidewalk in a case that made headlines last month. 9 A lawyer for Joesph Columbus, left, says his pit bulls didn't start a brutal fight that left a tiny chihuahua with six-inch scars across its little body. WCBS-TV The pit bull's owner lawyer, Ikiesha Al-Shabazz, made the claim after a Friday court hearing ordered after the owner defied a judge's ruling by not surrendering the two large dogs to police — and she also shared a supposedly exculpatory video of the brutal attack. Despite the key moment at the start of the fight still obscured in the clip, she said it showed the chihuahua provoking her client's 100-pound dog. 'They decided that they were going to lie,' Al-Shabazz said in a Manhattan courtroom hallway on Friday. A visibly frustrated civil court judge issued an arrest warrant minutes earlier for her client, Joseph Columbus, because he failed to appear that morning, and had defied court orders to surrender the two dogs. Al-Shabazz told reporters that 'this case is not as it seems,' and claimed text messages reveal the tiny dog's owner admitted to lying about who started the canine carnage. 9 'Penny was the initial aggressor,' said attorney Ikiesha Al-Shabazz, who represents the pit bull's owner. 'Does that mean a dog deserves to be attacked — absolutely not.' Instagram/directorchick27 'I was there for the original plan to say the bite was the Pit bull, not Penny,' the messages allegedly sent from Penny co-owner Lauren Claus read, 'we dropped that plan like an hour after we left the precinct.' Al-Shabazz claims that the messages are between Claus and an Upper West Side restaurant worker she was chatting with for surveillance video of the gruesome and bloody attack last month, and has filed them as an exhibit in the lawsuit. 'So you lied too?' the worker allegedly texted back. Reps for the owner of the Chihuahua did not comment. 9 The attack on the rescue pooch has inspired a new state bill deemed 'Penny's Law' that would hold pet owners criminally liable for dangerous dogs. Gabriella Bass 'Yes,' the response reads. 'We didn't feel good about it.' 'Penny was the initial aggressor,' said Al-Shabazz. 'Does that mean a dog deserves to be attacked — absolutely not.' 9 Joseph Columbus defied two court orders to turn over a pair of pooches to the cops and failed to show up to court on Friday – now a fed-up judge has issued a warrant for his arrest. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post Claus did not respond to a request for comment on the hearing or on the messages by the time of publication. Al-Shabazz declined to share the name of the worker, but said she could call her to testify. According to Department of Health records and earlier reports, Columbus' pit bulls also mauled a pair of Shi-tzu's in January, with one later succumbing to their injuries. 9 'This case is not what is seems,' said Ikiesha Al-Shabazz, attorney for defendant, Joseph Columbus. NYPost The Friday morning contempt hearing in Manhattan Supreme Court was supposed to focus on Columbus' failure to hand over the two dogs, Rambo and Zooey, after two judicial orders to do so. Judge Phaedra Perry-Bond immediately demanded to know why Columbus was not in court. Harassment from the public and media had sent Columbus — a 'morbidly obese man' — to the emergency room with chest pains that morning, said Al-Shabazz. 9 Al-Shabazz shared a supposedly exculpatory video on Friday, but a door blocked the key moment at the start of the fight. NYPost The judge didn't buy her claims that Columbus left his apartment for the E.R. at 6 a.m. that morning. 'The media was there,' Perry-Bond replied curtly, 'it was all on T.V.' Al-Shabazz asked if 'the court could not express its disdain for Mr. Columbus.' 'It's not disdain,' the judge interjected, 'it's frustration.' 9 Lauren Claus, the co-owner of Penny, did not immediately respond to the allegations that she lied about the attack. William Farrington Columbus had defied two orders to surrender the dogs issued this week, Perry-Bond said. 'I was very clear with those orders — and now you tell me he's in the hospital the day of his hearing?' Perry-Bond said. 'Those dogs should have been surrendered to the NYPD,' Perry-Bond said as she issued an arrest warrant for Columbus. 'I told him the consequences.' 9 Ikiesha Al-Shabazz, attorney for defendant, Joseph Columbus, speaking after the 10-minute-long hearing NYPost Al-Shabazz said that surrendering the dogs meant certain death for the pups. Perry-Bond rolled her eyes and said owners of Penny were only asking for the two big dogs to be 'assessed, neutered, spayed, and have insurance, and a muzzle.' 'I understand you have your perception of this case,' Al-Shabazz said to the judge. 'Your perception of the case is not fully formed.' 'Stop. Stop. Stop,' Perry-Bond shouted, just 10 minutes after the hearing began. 'Stop talking. Stop. We're done.' 9 Lauren Claus talking with her attorneys and supporters after Friday's hearing. NYPost 'We're looking for you Joe — don't run Joe,' said supporters of the chihuahua as they walked by Al-Shabazz after the short hearing. 'You should be ashamed as a lawyer,' another added.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FCC Chair Threatens to Block M&A for Companies That Embrace DEI Policies
In the Trump administration's latest crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion, FCC chairman Brendan Carr has put companies who promote 'invidious' DEI policies on notice, warning that the agency is prepared to block any merger and acquisition proposals they may make. 'Any businesses that are looking for FCC approval, I would encourage them to get busy ending any sort of their invidious forms of DEI discrimination,' Carr told Bloomberg in an interview on Friday. 'We can only under the statute move forward and approve a transaction if we find that doing so serves the public interest,' he continued. 'If there's businesses out there that are still promoting invidious forms of DEI discrimination, I really don't see a path forward where the FCC could reach the conclusion that approving the transaction is going to be in the public interest.' The latest threat comes as the agency has already opened investigations into Comcast and NBCUniversal and Verizon over their DEI practices. The former is preparing to spin off its cable network portfolio by the end of 2025, while the latter has entered into a deal to acquire Frontier Communications that is expected to close by the first quarter of 2026. Carr also reinstated 'news distortion' complaints against WPVI-TV over ABC's fact-checking of Trump during a presidential debate and WCBS-TV over the editing of a '60 Minutes' interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris and a complaint against WNBC-TV alleging Harris' appearance on 'Saturday Night Live' violated the agency's equal time rule. The FCC is allowing the public to weigh in on Harris' '60 Minutes' interview video and transcript it requested as part of its investigation into WCBS-TV and as it reviews the pending $8 billion Skydance-Paramount merger's required transfer of broadcast licenses. Additionally, Carr is investigating NPR and PBS for alleged violations of the agency's underwriting rules for noncommercial broadcasters and KCBS Radio for allegedly violating public interest obligations for describing an immigration raid during one of its news broadcasts. In a letter to the agency, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal slammed Carr for singling out media broadcasters that 'faced the wrath of President Trump during his presidential campaign, including actual litigation or outright threats of investigations in retaliation for perceived negative coverage.' He noted that the 'exclusive targeting to the apparent benefit of the President' is further reflected by Carr's decision to not renew a news distortion complaint against a Fox TV station nor launch any investigation into News Corp. around its diversity, equity and inclusion policies. 'The Commission's investigations appear predicated on dubious legal theories that deviate from the FCC's public guidance, rules, and past enforcement actions, raising the question of whether the FCC is operating under a new set of standards,' the letter added. 'Carr's vexatious investigation of opponents of President Trump represents a threat to the First Amendment and inflicts upon newsrooms, affiliate groups, local media, nonprofit organizations and religious broadcasters an ever-looming risk of retaliatory federal investigations for protected speech.' The Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has set a deadline of March 26 for the FCC to turn over information and records related to its investigations. Representatives for the FCC did not immediately return TheWrap's request for comment. The post FCC Chair Threatens to Block M&A for Companies That Embrace DEI Policies appeared first on TheWrap.
